Bonds: Sticking together
by Jenruki lover
Summary: When Henry recieves a distress call from Terriermon, the digimon manage to find a way back to their Tamers. But just who is this new enemy? And why it is after Terriermon? Read and review. Jurato, Jenruki, RenaGuil, TerrierLop and onesided Ryuki.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. If I did, Tamers would have a sequel.

I would like to thank my amazing betareader Shizuku Tsukishima749 for editing and betareading this chapter. Thank you! To the readers, please read and review!

Chapter One: A Call for Help

Henry Wong sat in his room, just staring at things around him. Even though it had been two years since the separation from the Digimon, the indigo-haired boy still missed his partner. He wondered what Terriermon was doing right about now.

He sighed and made to head out to see if Takato and Rika were at the park to hang out with him, but then his Digivice began flashing madly. Henry turned reflexively, grabbing it and running outside.

His father, who had seen the whole thing, called up Rika's house, informing her of the situation and requesting that she go after his son.

Henry, meanwhile, was following the Digivice's signal and came to a stop in front of the tiny, abandoned building where he, Takato and Rika had followed Guilmon through the tunnel.

"Terriermon, are you okay?" the indigo-haired boy whispered, eyes locked on this sacred place. Henry could feel it: something was wrong. His partner needed him right now, but what could he do? Before he could ponder on it much, he heard Rika call his name. He looked up as she and Takato ran up.

"Henry, what do you think you're doing? I just got a call from your Dad asking me to follow you! Why did you just run off like that?" Rika asked, a frown settling upon her beautiful features. Henry looked at her before his eyes went to Takato, who was looking at him with concern as well.

"My Dad doesn't need to worry about me," Henry said, slightly harsher than he intended, causing both of his fellow Tamers to look at him in shock. Quickly, he added, "But thanks for coming after me." Showing them his Digivice, he urged, "Hold out your Digivices, you two. I can't explain it, but it feels like Terriermon is calling for my help."

Now, Rika and Takato appeared even more shocked, but they did as they were told.

The three devices flashed blindingly, and ten Digimon appeared!

Standing before them were Guilmon, Renamon, Lopmon, Cyberdramon, Guardramon, MarineAngemon, Leomon, Impmon, and Calumon, who was riding on Guilmon's head.

And last but not least, an unconscious and slightly bruised Terriermon.

The Tamers gasped in disbelief. Then, Henry rushed forward to pull Terriermon into his arms.

"Terriermon! What happened to him?" Henry asked, his eyes wide and the expression on his face filled with concern.

Takato ran forward to greet Guilmon, and Rika did the same with Renamon. Soon enough, Takato looked up at Leomon.

"Leomon, you're really back…" the boy murmured softly, and Leomon nodded slowly.

"Yes. We will all be needed in battle once more if we are to defeat this new enemy. But right now, Takato, the main concern is Terriermon, for he is the enemy's prime target," Leomon told him quietly, and Takato looked over at the small Digimon being cradled in Henry's arms. Takato moved over to his friend, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Henry, don't worry. We'll all be here to protect Terriermon. Don't forget, buddy, we're in this together," Takato reminded, hoping he'd said the right thing.

But Henry didn't even seem to be listening. He just kept staring at Terriermon.

"Terriermon...wake up, please," Henry begged quietly, burying his head in the small Digimon's pudgy stomach, the tears that had gathered in his eyes sliding onto the little critter's body. This was just like the time when he and Terriermon had first met…

"Momentai, Henry…" a familiar voice whispered, causing the indigo-haired boy to snap up.

Terriermon, though still exhausted and looking worse for wear, was peering up at Henry with barely-opened eyes.

"Terriermon! How did you get like this?" Henry inquired immediately, wiping away his tears.

"Yeah, and how did all of you even manage to get to the real world anyway?" Rika piped up, stepping up beside Henry.

Terriermon tried to speak, but only ended up coughing. He began fading in and out. Calumon frowned.

"We gotta help Terriermon! Hurry, hurry! He's hurt real bad! Uh huh!" the little Digimon exclaimed worriedly.

Renamon sighed, glancing at her partner.

"I think it would be wise to call the other Tamers. Once we're all together, we'll be able to better help Terriermon, and what's more, Guilmon and I can explain to everyone what happened."

Rika frowned, but nodded while keeping her eyes on Henry. She'd never wanted to see anyone else lose their partner, not after what it did to Jeri…

Takato, too, watched his best friend closely before taking a deep breath. "I'll call them." His voice softened when it came to the next part. "Henry, I know you won't like it, but we're gonna need Suzie here."

Finally, Henry tore his haunted gaze away from Terriermon to catch the younger boy's eyes. A moment later, he sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do we have to? I don't want her getting involved in this…" he expressed softly.

Lopmon stepped forward. "Henry, they're right. We're going to need every Tamer, big or small. Besides," the tiny Digimon smiled reassuringly, playfully tugging on her partner's brother's pant-leg, "you and I both know I'll protect her."

Henry hummed thoughtfully, the smallest of smiles coming to his face, though it fell as he peered down at Terriermon once more. The fading was getting worse and worse with each second that passed. At last, he nodded.

"Okay, I'll get her," he breathed, while stroking his partner's head gently. Swallowing thickly, he pleaded, "Please hang on, Terriermon..."

Blinking back tears, he swallowed again. He was doing his best to keep himself composed, but it was hard. He didn't think he could stand it if he lost his best friend. He may have been hard on him at times, but the truth was he would be lost without Terriermon by his side.

Rika seemed to sense Henry's pain and moved forward.

"Hey, Henry, cheer up. It'll be okay. We've been through worse than this, and we're still here." She tilted his chin up with two slender, slightly-calloused fingers and, gazing down at the Digimon in question, caressed his small, white head once before placing her hand atop Henry's. "Terriermon knows you're worried about him. So why are we still sitting around when we could be helping him?"

Henry looked up at her, a little surprised that she was comforting him. He had seen her try to comfort Suzie when she had wanted Lopmon to Digivolve, but he thought that was just because she was a little girl. Rika felt her cheeks turn pink at the attention and quickly removed her hand, causing Henry to chuckle a bit and smile warmly.

"Thanks, Rika."

It didn't take long for the rest of the Tamers to arrive once they understood what was going on. There was a big reunion between the children and their Digimon, especially between Jeri and Leomon. The girl had begun crying upon seeing Leomon, when she realised her beloved partner had found a way back to her.

Henry, meanwhile, tended to Terriermon, using his Digivice to try to heal him. But with only one device going, it wasn't doing much good. A hand came to rest on his own, and Henry looked up to see Rika standing at his side.

Before he could ask what she was doing, he felt Takato's hand join Rika's and saw he was using his Digivice likewise. He smiled at them gratefully, going wide-eyed a second later when Kazu, Kenta, Jeri and Suzie joined in as well.

The combined light-force enveloped Terriermon and seemed to heal him enough to stop him from flickering. Henry breathed a sigh of relief and moved forward, giving Terriermon a gentle, loving hug.

The Tamers smiled at the scene, but after a few more touching moments, Rika cleared her throat. Like it or not, it was time to get down to business.

"So, Renamon, Guilmon?" she said, turning to the two Digimon expectantly. "How'd all of this start?"

The fox Digimon sighed, looking over at Guilmon to see him along with the other Tamers staring at her resolutely. Ai and Mako, little ones that they were, appeared a little confused, but Mako was wearing a determined expression nonetheless.

"At first, everything in the Digital World was fine. Terriermon and Lopmon were playing, and the rest of us were relaxing when these five creatures attacked us out of nowhere. Their leader was definitely a Digimon, but he was a sort of…_darker_ version of Rapidmon."

She suppressed a shudder, though her fur still stood on end, and her eyes drifted to her smaller injured friend, who gave her a kind smile. She returned it, feeling a bit better, before going back to her story.

"When it became clear that Terriermon was their target, we all did our best to protect him. But he defeated all of us, even Leomon, faster than we could blink… That was when Terriermon stepped in, saying he couldn't sit back while we risked our lives to save him. He got himself hurt pretty badly, but no matter what we did we couldn't help him…"

Her fists clenched, and by this time though she hadn't noticed it herself, she was growling. Rika laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Renamon quieted instantly. Thanking her partner, she continued from where she'd left off.

"When we finally found an opening, Guilmon grabbed Terriermon, and we tried to run for it. Terriermon never stopped calling out to Henry…he was almost crying…" her voice and eyes softened with anxious heartache in remembrance, "…and somehow, his emotions transported us to the real world."

Henry was listening to all of this with one fist clenched, using his other hand to pet Terriermon soothingly. His partner gazed up at him warily.

"Momentai, Henry. I'll be okay. I'm with you now," Terriermon managed weakly, grinning up at his best friend tiredly. Henry cracked a weak smile, but then tossed Takato a grave look.

"We need to find out more about this guy. First of all, why does it look like Rapidmon? Secondly, why are they all of a sudden so interested in Terriermon? And most importantly, what could _he_ possibly have that they might want?"

Takato nodded, frowning slightly in thought.

"Maybe this 'Rapidmon' is a Virus-type?" Kazu suggested, but Leomon shook his head.

"It was many things, but that was not one of them. It was an exact replica of Rapidmon, but it was far more sinister. A pure and powerful evil pulsed through its data-streams, I can tell you that."

At this, Jeri clenched her fists and let her head fall, fixing her eyes on her feet.

"If he's so powerful…what happens if we lose? What if—" the young girl's bright, orange-brown eyes lifted to her partner almost involuntarily, "—if something gets hurt like last time…?"

Impmon averted his eyes immediately, ears drooping and expression broken. Ai bent down, hugging the Digimon comfortingly.

"Jeri..." Takato murmured softly, wishing he could say something to ease her pain. He could tell she was afraid of losing Leomon again, not that he could blame her.

Leomon knelt down, picking his partner up in his arms.

"You have more right to be apprehensive than anyone else here, Jeri," he purred tenderly, "but know that I, too, am afraid of what we face." Jeri lifted her head instantly at this admission, eyes wide. "Yet, you must remember that we are a strong team, and with myself as a living testament, we will do all in our power to ensure that no one ends up dying this time." His lion-smile, full of heart and fire, brought a tiny, hopeful grin to the young girl's face. This last part was meant to calm her, convince her, if the rest hadn't already. "Besides, Jeri, Terriermon is our friend, and I know your pure heart would never let you abandon him in his time of trouble."

The girl beamed, a few touched tears escaping before she threw her arms around her Digimon's neck.

On the other end of the spectrum, Suzie walked over to Terriermon.

"Henry, will Terriermon be all right?" Suzie asked worriedly, and Henry exhaled heavily through his nose, pulling his little sister into a hug and holding her close for a long moment. He wasn't sure how to answer; for the first time in a good while, he was scared. He didn't know why, but he had a really bad feeling about all of this.

"Takato, Rika...we should really have a set plan for this… I have a feeling this battle will be just like the one against the D-Reaper…" he admitted, his tone slightly shaky.

Takato's eyes widened slightly, and although he flushed when Jeri grabbed his hand, he quickly regained his composure and turned to regard Henry with concern. He wished he could do something, _anything_, to help his best friend.

But right now, they didn't even know what they were up against.

Rika seemed to be having similar thoughts because she drew up to Henry and put both of her hands on his shoulders. The boy raised his head.

"Would you _calm down_? If we can beat the big, bad D-Reaper, we can beat this psycho, too! I don't blame you for being scared, we _all_ are, but since when has that ever stopped us? Besides, maybe the others will be able to Biomerge this time!" She rapped her knuckles against his head for good measure. "You have to start letting a little light in, 'Gloom-Boy!'"

Henry stared for a stretched second. She had a point. They had been through tough situations before—Gennai knows the D-Reaper situation hadn't exactly been a piece of Guilmon-Bread.

"Listen to them, Henry! Just remember: _momentai_!" Terriermon piped up, by now feeling slightly rested and on his way back to his normal self, much to Henry's relief.

But all was not so happy from where Takato was standing beside Ryo. The oldest of the group was watching Henry and Rika with an odd gleam in his eyes. The goggle-head didn't know how to describe the look, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant one. Whatever it meant, Takato didn't think he liked it.

"Hey, Ryo, you okay?" Takato hesitantly inquired, whispering so no one else would hear.

The question appeared to snap Ryo out of whatever trance he'd been in. Nodding reassuringly, he gave the younger male a tiny smile before turning away, the faux expression melting into a truly perturbed frown.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter!

And thanks once again to my betareader Shizuku Tsukishima749 for betareading this chapter!

Chapter Two: The First Strike

Takato turned away from Ryo, though he was still a bit worried. However, right now a bigger problem introduced itself as Guilmon suddenly collapsed! The gogglehead rushed forward, catching his Digimon before he could hit the ground.

"Guilmon! What's wrong, big guy?" Takato asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Okay…Takatomon… Mm…sleep now…" Guilmon assured, his heavy eyes closing. Looking around, the Tamers noticed the dinosaur-Digimon was right: Renamon was leaning against the wall, and the rest looked about to join their friend.

Terriermon, resting in Henry's arms, let his ears droop. His eyes fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, causing the gang to turn his way.

Lopmon, who had been watching him closely for a while now, finally decided to take action. Pushing her exhaustion aside, she jumped up to throw her arms around Henry's neck and rested against his back. Concerned, she reached down to stroke her friend's head with her paw.

"Why are you sorry, Terriermon?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned, perhaps a little more severely than intended as his voice cracked under the strain. "The reason you're all hurt and tired is because you were trying to protect me! How could you ever…?" But Terriermon trailed off, unable to finish, and Henry frowned.

Through all the years Henry had known Terriermon, the little Digimon had rarely gotten down on himself or anyone else for any reason. Seeing this change in his friend made his heart ache. It wasn't fair. Terriermon wasn't to blame for this – it was the evil Digimon that had targeted him.

"Terriermon, it's not your fault. No one blames you for what happened. The only one in the wrong here is whoever ordered the attack," Henry tells him gently, giving his partner a soft smile.

Lopmon, still hanging on to Henry, nods and grins tenderly.

"Henry's right, Terriermon. Besides, it was our choice to protect you, and we did it because you're our friend."

"Yeah." The indigo-haired boy let loose a small chuckle, a giant beam attached. "So just…_momentai_! Right, Terriermon?"

At last, Terriermon managed a smile and nodded, effectively soothed.

"Hey, I know!" Takato shouted suddenly, and all eyes flitted to him. He turned red at the attention, but recovered soon enough. "Why don't we all head to the hideout? You know, try to make the place look a little better?"

At this, Renamon laughed. The sound was born of affectionate disbelief, however, rather than curt distaste.

"You children with your pure hearts… You have the power to make miracles happen—you have already." Her seldom-seen loving smile comes, widens. "You've proven that time and again: your wishes made the Blue Cards appear to help us Matrix Digivolve, and your bonds with us were strong enough that we could fight as one." Renamon's piercing, yet gentle gaze found Rika, stayed there for the longest time, and the girl blushed brightly before averting her eyes. "We Digimon have always believed in you, but you need to believe in yourselves."

Takato and Henry glanced at one another before nodding in agreement. Looking to the others, they smiled determinedly, and the others followed suit.

Time to head to the hideout.

_I want to protect my friends_, Takato thought, his Digivice beginning to glow.

_I want to protect my partner_, Henry reflected, his device doing the same.

_I want to keep Henry from losing Terriermon. I don't want him to go through what Jeri did_, Rika professed.

_I want to be stronger so I can protect Takato, Leomon and all my friends_, Jeri wished intensely.

_I wanna protect Henry, Lopmon, and Terriermon_, Suzie pleaded, gasping as her Digivice also began radiating light.

_I want to be able to Biomerge with Guardromon to help them_, Kazu hoped, feeling more than a little insecure.

_I…I want to help them any way I can! _Kenta confessed almost desperately.

By now, the gang had arrived at their hideout, and every child's Digivice was blazing with an almost ethereal light. Once again, the beams came together to bathe their special haven. When the glow faded, a gargantuan room of glass, filled with several couches and a computer, stood in the old building's place.

The entire company gasped. Takato was the first to step forward and push open the door.

"Guys, we actually did it! It looks amazing!" Takato exclaimed, beaming excitedly. Jeri smiled as well, walking forward and sitting down on one of the sofas.

"Takatomon," the red dinosaur Digimon nudged his partner's shoulder, "Guilmon hungry! Guilmon-Bread? _Please_, Takatomon?" Guilmon asked, his dinosaur-puppy-dog eyes causing the gogglehead to burst out laughing. One true fact about Digimon: every one loved his food, _especially_ Guilmon.

"Sure thing, buddy." He turned to Henry now. "Hey, I'm gonna run back to my house to get some food. Since there's a computer in here…" he blushed; he didn't want to make it sound as if he were bossing Henry around, but he was getting worried because the older boy hadn't been talking much all day, and Henry _had_ told him he tended to work with computers when he was stressed, "…maybe you could...find out more about the bad guy…?"

His best friend looked up, surprised yet touched that Takato had remembered something so seemingly trivial. The minute smile the thirteen-year-old received in return made the flush in his face ebb slightly, and the good feeling intensified with the subsequent ready nod.

However, before anyone could say another word, the storm clouds rolled in.

"Digimon Tamers!" a sudden, booming voice that seemed to come from all around them ground out.

Instantly, Henry's grip tightened on Terriermon, a chill crawling up his spine when he realised it really did sound like Rapidmon. Rika stepped backward, throwing an arm out in front of Renamon protectively; it wasn't like her to be so guarding, but if this guy was as dangerous as the others had said, she didn't want her partner to get hurt. Impmon grabbed Calumon, and Ai and Mako picked up their Digimon. Takato laid a firm hand on Guilmon's back. Leomon wrapped a protective arm around Jeri, who clung to him as if he would disappear if she let go. Kazu moved in front of Guardramon, while Kenta held MarineAngemon in his arms. Ryo moved back toward his partner as well.

A second more, and the stuff-of-nightmares tone started up again. "It is useless to try and resist. We will get the one for which we came. However, you do not have to come to harm. Give us what we want, and you _may _live..."

Lopmon lifted her eyes to the ceiling; for the first time, they were flashing with rage. "We will never surrender to you! You won't lay a digital _paw_ on Terriermon either!"

Henry was glowering as well. There was no way they'd give in to this guy that easily, especially when his best friend was at stake. Even so, when the voice burst into what must have been a cackle of laughter, Henry couldn't help but flinch despite himself. How could _any _version of Rapidmon, such a noble warrior, be capable of doing this—?

But there was no more time to think on that. For in the next moment, Lopmon was sent flying backward for her 'insolence.' Suzie rushed over to her fallen Digimon.

"Lopmon! You okay?" Suzie asked worriedly, kneeling beside her closest companion. She didn't see a dark claw heading her way.

"Suzie, watch out!" Henry cried, running towards her.

Terriermon jumped up, surging forward. "_Terrier Tornado_!"

He knew the move was risky, seeing as he was still weak from the Digital World attack, but the effort was worth it when he succeeded in diverting the dark power's attention. Except…except now _he _was the target! He managed to dodge the attacks for a while—that is, until he was caught off guard in mid-air and knocked flat on his face.

Lopmon, for her part, left Suzie in her big brother's care to dart over to Terriermon.

"Are you all right?" Lopmon inquired concernedly.

"I'm fine! Get out of here! It's dangerous!" Terriermon warned.

Suddenly, the crying little sister in his arms became Henry's second priority. Seeing the claw's path out of the corner of his eye, he snapped up.

"_Terriermon_!"

Twirling around, terror etched onto the Digimon's face. In a lightning-fast movement, Leomon lowered Jeri to the ground and pulled both rabbit-Digimon out of the way.

"_Phew_! That was close!" Terriermon breathed, relieved.

"You did it, Leomon!" Jeri cheered. Takato's eyes softened as he watched her, glad to see a smile on her face. It suited her so much more than being sad all the time.

Before he could contemplate it further, the voice spoke again.

"Terriermon, are you really so selfish that you would let your friends be hurt for your sake? Observe as your human's sister cries her heart out because of you! How do you think your precious partner feels about that? _Surrender_, Terriermon! Henry will be better off without you. You know that. You always have…"

It was obvious the voice was trying to get into Terriermon's head. Knowing this at once and understanding what it could do to his best friend, Henry's head shot up.

"Terriermon, don't listen to him! Suzie isn't crying _because_ of you, she's crying _for_ you! She's so scared that you're going to get hurt! And I—!" Tears invaded his eyes and his voice cracked, but he closed his eyes tightly and pushed onward.

"You should have seen how I was after you left! I was so broken, Terriermon—I'd just lost my best friend, and there was nothing I could do about it!" He laughs sardonically, shaking his head a bit. "Believe me, I still hold a grudge against my Father for that."

His eyes boring into his Digimon's, Henry wills him to believe. "Terriermon, I know I was hard on you and teased you and tried to keep you from being reckless. Most of the time I was scared your mouth would get you hurt.

"When you met Renamon for the first time, you told her she was silly for rolling around in the mud. I was so afraid you might offend her, and she'd try to hurt you.

"When Miharimon knocked you out, I panicked! When Pajiramon nearly destroyed you—!" He choked here, but forced himself to hold it together just a little longer. "I almost couldn't handle it! But now—now this enemy we can't even _see_ is after you, and I feel so _useless_ because I don't know how to _protect_ you! I feel like I've failed you, Terriermon…!"

Henry crumples to his knees now, finally allowing at least a few tears to leak down his cheeks. Suzie immediately wiped her cheeks and leaned forward to hug her big brother.

"Henry..." Terriermon uttered, stunned tears springing to his own eyes at Henry's speech. Of course he always knew Henry cared for him, but the boy had never been one to let his emotions show.

Just then, both Terriermon and Henry's Digivice started glowing. Terriermon felt his injuries heal, and a scream was heard when the brilliant light fell on the claw. Without the slightest warning, the dark magic vanished.

The first chance given, Terriermon flew over to sit on Henry's head.

"Momentai, Henry. It's all right now." He buried his face in his partner's hair, breathing him in for a sacred second. "Thank you. Knowing that you'll never leave me alone even when you're scared..." Terriermon trailed off happily, reverently, lovingly, and a calmer Henry embraced his Digimon and Suzie tightly.

"Takatomon will never give up on me! Right, Takatomon?" Guilmon asked his best friend softly.

Takato smiled, throwing his arms around Guilmon. "I could never give up on you, buddy! No matter what!"

Pulling back, Takato shifted his attention to his closest human companion.

"Henry...are you okay?" Takato asked. It was true that the boy looked better now, but the younger child wanted to make sure his friend knew they still stood by him.

Henry glanced up, and their eyes met for an instant before he looked away.

"I won't say I'm not scared," the older boy grinned down at Terriermon, "but at least I'm not alone."

"Right!" they all chorused in unison.

Rika rested a hand on Henry's shoulder, causing him to raise his eyes. He hadn't even seen her and Renamon move from their positions.

"You were great back there. The Digimon get the push they need to win through our encouragement and faith. That's why Renamon and the others don't need to absorb data anymore—" Rika flashed Renamon a small smile, who responded in kind, "—because our belief is enough for them."

Henry beamed at that as well. "Thanks, Rika," he answers softly. Peering up at the rest, he brightens, laughs to himself. "It looks like the danger's passed for now. All that's left is to just...momentai, everybody!"

Terriermon nodded in agreement, happy that his partner was all right. "That's right!"

Watching Terrriermon shyly out of the corner of her eye, Lopmon smiled at the exchange. She was glad he was safe with Henry.

She flew over to check on her partner. "Suzie…?" the Digimon questioned warily.

Suzie looked up with a small, sad smile. "I'm okay now, Lopmon. I was just sad that he hurt you and Terriermon and Henry."

Guilmon turned to Takato. "Can we _please_ eat some Guilmon-Bread now, Takatomon?" the dinosaur-Digimon whined.

Takato looked hesitant, a somehow-sheepish frown settling on his face. "I would, buddy, but what if that 'voice' comes back? What if he sees I'm not here and—?

Renamon chose this time to break in.

"I will protect Guilmon for you. Nothing will happen to him if I can help it," she assures, and the almost-feral glint in her eyes is more than enough to redouble his trust in her. "Besides, I agree with Guilmon." She waltzed over and put a supportive paw on his shoulder. "We could all use some food right now, even Terriermon. Henry's Digivice may have healed him, but I doubt it made his hunger go away as well."

Takato blinked, then nodded. Turning, he ran out of the new hideout. There really was nothing to worry about, after all.

"Oh, Renamon! You're so nice!" Guilmon praised, nuzzling the fox-Digimon affectionately. The skin beneath Renamon's fur heated up and turned red.

Everyone laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! This might be a bit of a boring chapter, but I thought they needed a bit of time to plan for the enemy before more action comes in. Thanks to Shizuku Tsukihama 749 for betareading this chapter.

Chapter 3: Planning

When Takato returned, Henry was on the computer trying to learn more about the enemy, Rika and Renamon were discussing Biomerging, and Terriermon was listening. However, what the bunny-Digimon said when he finally spoke up left nearly everyone incredulous.

"We won't be Biomerging this time!"

"Terriermon, what are you talking about? We're strongest when we fight together!" Henry was completely thrown for a loop. Terriermon glanced down at the floor before jumping up on Henry's head.

"Henry, I may be careless sometimes, but you know I care a lot about your safety, right?" Terriermon asked quietly, looking down into his partner's eyes. Henry was startled by the amount of emotion in his beady orbs.

"Of course I do, Terriermon," the child was smiling, laughing happily-nervously for a moment before turning serious again, "but where is this coming from?"

Terriermon sighed. "I don't know who's after me, but I do know this is going to be dangerous. When we Biomerge, it's a risk to your safety, too. I don't want you to get hurt, Henry, even if it means more danger for me in the long run."

Henry was stunned into silence, for once unable to find words suitable for a response. It wasn't from shock about how seriously Terriermon was taking this, but from the fact that he didn't seem to care he was willingly putting himself in the line of fire.

"Terriermon...I..." Henry stutter-whispered, closing his eyes tightly for a moment before shaking his head carefully and opening them.

"Terriermon…it means a lot that you want to keep me safe, but I'm not going to let you fight alone. I know you're worried, but come on, we've faced worse. Besides, you said it yourself, Digimon and humans are stronger when they work together." He smiled lovingly, reaching up to scratch behind his partner's ears. "You always protect me from danger. Let MegaGargomon be your protection this time, if only to remind you that you're never alone and to tell the evil Digimon that if he wants to hurt you, he'll have to go through both of us!" Henry said firmly, and Terriermon stared at his partner prior to beaming.

It was just like his Tamer. Once he made up his mind, he never relented unless otherwise convinced another course of action was the right thing to do. But the white Digimon could feel this case was a little different.

"Thanks, Henry. Looks like I should take my own advice and momentai, huh?"

"Sure. Anyway, you know a small-fry like you couldn't take on the bad guys without me," Henry teased, and Terriermon pouted slightly, moving to perch on the back of the computer-chair.

"Henry, I think that qualifies as rude!" the Digimon chided, and the boy chuckled.

Takato smiled at the scene before clearing his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, guys, but did we find anything on our mystery-enemy?" Takato asked his best friend. Henry nodded.

"It's not much, but it's enough to get us started. Hang on," Henry told him, swiveling in the chair to face the computer and using the mouse to scroll down on the page.

For several moments, he read to himself, and it was only when he got to the last part that the others were clued in. The second he started reading his face turned snow-white and his shoulders filled with tension.

Takato noticed this and frowned. He looked up, and his eyes met Rika's equally-worried eyes. Both original Tamers stepped forward, each laying a hand on one of Henry's shoulders.

"Henry, what is it? What's wrong?" the Gogglehead asked, watching his best friend anxiously.

When Henry didn't respond, Rika gave Takato a look and he nodded, moving away halfway against his better judgment. The girl spun the chair around and grabbed the purple-eyed boy roughly by the shoulders.

"Would you snap out of it already? What did you see that made you freeze up like this?" Rika demanded. Swallowing thickly, he parted his quivering lips.

"That creature...he wants to corrupt Terriermon's data...and get him to do something horrible... And—and after that...he wants to destroy the data altogether... H-how could anyone...?"

Too shaken to speak anymore, he lapsed into silence. Rika frowned and closed her eyes tightly, huffing and dropping her head. Then, lifting it, she faced the others.

"What happens from here on out stays between us, _got it_?" she warned. The rest immediately nodded, except Ryo who tensed and averted his eyes.

Rika knelt down, wrapping her arms around Henry.

"_Nobody_ is going to take Terriermon away, not if we can help it." She cracked a smile. "Have some faith in someone other than yourself for once. The three of us—you, Takato, and me: we're an unbreakable team. We've seen each other at our best and our worst.

You helped Renamon and I understand what being partners was all about. When we first met, you hugged Terriermon and told me that Digimon weren't our slaves or our pets, but our _friends_… A-and to be honest, I was jealous. I was jealous that you had such a close bond with your Digimon, when the only relationship Renamon and I had back then was to make each other stronger." A hint of color seeped into his cheeks, and a little of the tension left his shoulders. But that didn't keep the surprise away. Rika had been _jealous_…? Of _him_…? "Henry, you _taught_ me the meaning of friendship. You helped me open my heart.

"Most importantly, both of you have proved time and time again how strong your love is. Now show that idiot out there that he can't break that bond no matter how hard he tries!"

Her grip on him had never loosened, her gaze never wavering. Henry kept his sideways gaze on her beautiful face for a long moment before wrapping his own arms around her.

He smiled minutely and realised it felt nice, holding her like this—! _Wait_! What was he _thinking_? This was _Rika_ he was talking about! She would probably kick his butt for having these thoughts about her!

He squeezed her a little tighter. Whispering quietly so only she could hear: "Rika...thank you for always being here."

The girl could feel the heat creeping up her face now as she became conscious of the fact that she enjoyed the feeling of holding him in her arms. This thought made her cheeks flush further, and she pulled back to stand as discreetly-quickly as she could. Keeping her face downcast to hide her blush, she cleared her throat softly.

"Yeah, well….what are friends for?" she replied, somewhat evadingly. Terriermon hopped up on his Tamer's head.

"Momentai, Henry! I'll be fine as long as we're together! And you're right: MegaGargomon _does_ make me feel like I'm not alone!"

At this, Henry smiled. His purple eyes flicking to Rika, he beamed gratefully. This time, he glimpsed her cherry-red face.


End file.
